Identity Theft Expert Speaker Protection Prevention Resource Blog

(SARASOTA, Fla. - July 16, 2008 - One You Security) Use of a file-sharing network by an employee at an investment firm in McLean, Va., last year exposed the private financial and identifying data of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and others to the public, according to news reported last week. Peer-to-peer networks in fact contain a minefield of security pitfalls, said Robert Siciliano, widely televised and quoted identity theft protection expert and chief security analyst for One You Security, LLC, who urged organizations to limit their computer users’ access to file-sharing networks, also known as P2P or peer-to-peer networks. Siciliano further encouraged firms of all kinds to introduce employees to One You Security, a firm whose focus is to render Social Security numbers unusable to thieves who want to steal financial identities.

"Peer-to-peer networks, otherwise known as file-sharing networks, function by establishing fluid, generally unsecure connections between geographically dispersed computers," said Siciliano. "These networks are prime haunts for high-tech identity thieves, who will visit them in order to gain access to the databases behind computers logged in. This is one way that thieves obtain the Social Security numbers they need to commit all manner of financial identity fraud — and why the solution is to turn to services such as One You’s, which can make Social Security numbers useless to the thieves who would otherwise use them to steal financial identities."

Subscribers to One You Security receive newsletters and special alerts from Siciliano. Through these, they get the latest data on breaches and learn more about identity theft prevention. Chief security analyst for One You Security and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, Siciliano regularly discusses data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC’s "Today Show," FOX News Network, and elsewhere.

On July 8, The Washington Post and others reported that an employee at a Washington, D.C.-area investment firm who used the popular file-sharing (peer-to-peer) site LimeWire inadvertently released to the public the private financial and identifying information on many of the firm’s clients, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer. Analysts quoted in a nextgov article covering the breach involving the Supreme Court Justice’s data said peer-to-peer security holes are posing an increasing threat to data repositories of many kinds.

"P2P networks represent yet another access point that thieves have to consumers’ treasured identifying information, namely Social Security numbers," said Chris Harris, president and CEO of One You Security. "These numbers are the keys to everything for identity thieves. But what if they keys didn’t work? What if other people’s Social Security numbers were of no use to the thieves who want to steal financial identities with them? That’s what One You relentlessly strives to do — make Social Security numbers of as little use as possible to thieves. Until Social Security numbers cease to be universal identifiers, someone will have to step into the vacuum and functionally strip Social Security numbers of their potency as a means to obtain financial identities."

Consumers who choose One You Security do so in part because the company strives to transform their Social Security numbers into meaningless strings of numbers of no use to thieves. The firm backs all its offerings with a 100 percent service guarantee.

The YouTube video below shows Siciliano on FOX News Network, where he explains how thieves were able to crack the computers of Hannaford Bros., a grocery chain that operates 165 stores in the Northeast, to obtain the credit card and debit card numbers of millions of customers. A collection of videos at VideoJug features Siciliano sharing advice on how consumers can protect themselves from identity theft and fraud.

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About One You Security, LLC

Sarasota, Fla.-based One You Security’s mission is to eliminate the threat and consequences of identity theft. For just $10 per month, anyone can sign up for One You Security’s identity theft protection service, a proactive, preventative approach whereby the company activates and manages its customers’ fraud alerts with major credit bureaus. Subscribers also receive full access to ongoing education from identity theft protection expert Robert Siciliano, chief security analyst for One You Security, which backs up its promise to protect clients’ financial identities with a 100 percent service guarantee. To sign up for One You Security, dial 1-800-434-2010.

About IDTheftSecurity.com

Identity theft affects us all, and Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, chief security analyst for One You Security, and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. Author of "The Safety Minute: 01" and leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on "The Today Show," CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, "FOX News," "The Suze Orman Show," "The Montel Williams Show," "Maury Povich," "Sally Jesse Raphael," "The Howard Stern Show," and "Inside Edition." Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft protection. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others. For more information, visit Siciliano’s Web site, blog, and YouTube page.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with any of the following individuals:

Chris Harris
President & CEO of One You Security
PHONE: 941-342-0500 (x231)
chris@oneyou.com
http://www.oneyou.com

Robert Siciliano
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
Chief Security Analyst for One You Security
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
http://www.idtheftsecurity.com

Brent W. Skinner
President & CEO of STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.com
http://www.STETrevisions.com
http://brentskinner.blogspot.com

The press has recently taken issue with CEO of an identity theft prevention company who has given his SSN out for all the world to see. His identity theft protection service is designed to protect the consumer from identity theft.

Because he used the marketing gimmick to drive sales, it has resulted in a never ending battle where identity thieves and others are using his ID to prove a point, that giving out your SSN is never a good idea.

His identity was compromised financially early on and since has been compromised REPORTED 87-90 TIMES.

It is impossible not to give your SSN in a society that needs it for most accounts, insurances etc. Plastering it on a billboard is a great idea when you dont care if your identity is stolen in order to sell a product.

However for the rest of us I’d not recommend it.

The idea is to make the SSN useless by investing in a service that keeps you in-tune, on top of, what is happening regarding your identity by wrapping a security system around your identity.

Stay tuned. Updates on this issue to come.

(BOSTON, Mass. - Sept. 14, 2007 - IDTheftSecurity.com) Earlier this month news outlets reported the arrest of a Seattle, Wash. man on suspicion that he committed identity theft after obtaining the needed information via peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. According to Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, the development was not surprising in light of computer hackers’ ingenuity and these networks’ susceptibility to security breaches. He renewed his longtime warnings against the carefree usage of P2P networks and their associated software programs.

“Peer-to-peer networks can leave computer hard drives wide-open to foul play,” said Siciliano. “Imagine how many identity thieves have slipped under the radar to obtain data through unsecured peer-to-peer networks. Hackers can easily use the window of opportunity that a P2P connection affords them to lift information from unsuspecting victims’ computers.”

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients in workshops that explore consumer education solutions for security issues. A longtime identity theft speaker and author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC’s “Today Show,” FOX News, and elsewhere.

Earlier this month, Computerworld, PC World, and others ran articles detailing the arrest of a man in the Pacific Northwest on grounds that they suspected he had skimmed data from P2P networks as means to conduct identity theft-related crimes. At the time of the reports, authorities were investigating the possibility that the man had purchased more than $70,000 worth of goods under the auspices of stolen identities.

The arrest underscored the implications of research from Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business. The findings, reported earlier this year, suggesting that corporate data breaches trace back to peer-to-peer (P2P) network usage by employees. According to the study, the number of P2P users, already at 4 million in 2003, had more than doubled at the time the report was published, May 2007. The researchers said efforts by officials to surveil, monitor, and dissuade the use of P2P networks in the workplace have failed to keep pace with these networks’ ever-evolving, decentralized nature.

“Organization that run computer networks need to know the risks associated with peer-to-peer programs,” said Siciliano. “Employees sharing files via peer-to-peer networks unwittingly expose their employers’ proprietary databases to peer-to-peer hackers. Databases home to sensitive information such as birth dates, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers are prime targets.”

Readers may view YouTube video of Siciliano below that shows his April 2007 appearance on “FOX 25,” the network’s Boston, Mass. affiliate. On the program, Siciliano demonstrates how P2P networks allow criminals to obtain the information needed to commit identity theft. Those wishing to learn how to protect themselves against identity theft, a concern for anyone whose data have fallen into the hands of P2P hackers, may view video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

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About IDTheftSecurity.com

Identity theft affects us all. Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report’s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients.

A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on “The Today Show,” CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “FOX News,” “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and “Inside Edition.” The Privacy Learning Institute features him on its Website. Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others.

Visit Siciliano’s Web site, www.IDTheftSecurity.com; blog, www.realtysecurity.com/blog; and YouTube page, http://youtube.com/stungundotcom.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with Siciliano directly:

Robert Siciliano, Personal Security Expert
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com